Ironing table top



May 5, 1942. 1 w. PLACE 2,282,300

IRONING TABLE TOP Filed NOV. 24, 1939 CLCZ.

Patented May 5, 19,42

moNlNG TABLE 'roP Les W. Place, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to the J. R. Clark Company; Minneapolis, Minn., a

corporation Application November 21, 1939, Serial No. 305,921 1 Claim. (Cl. 38-137) My invention relates to ironing table tops and has forits object to provide an ironing table top embodying a wooden base with a metallic sheathing overlying the top of said base either directly or with insulating material between the wooden sheathing and said top of the base.

It is an object of my inventi'on to provide an ironing table top having in conjunction with a metal contacting upper surface portion a wooden base so constructed and united Vwith the ironing table top as to prevent warping from shrinkage or any other cause, to effect diiusion of heat from the iron over the metallic top and to provideV additional safety against nre hazards.

Itl is a further object of my invention to provide reenforcement transversely of the wood base of the ironing table top by means of transverse steel cleats of any desired shape, which cleats also may be the securing means for the leg supports of the ironing table top, said leg supports being o! any desired construction.

It is a further object of my invention to pro-4 vide in conjunction with the board itself a suitable wiring arrangement such that the heating elements employed to heat the metallic sheet forming the contacting upper surface of the ironing table top may be plugged infrom a source of electrical current supply and the electric iron may be plugged in directly at the ironing tableA top in connection with switchingmea'ns for controlling the circuit to the iron and to the heating means.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description thereof, and its novel features lby which the above indicatedA advantages are attained are particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that the lnvention is not limited to the specific showing and detailed description given, but may be varied within the scope ot the claim.

In the drawing illustrating applications of my invention in some desirable forms,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a table top embodying my invention with some parts broken away and in section.

Fig. 2 is an underside plan view oi.' my table top.

Fig. 3 is an underside plan view of the table top showing a form of development of the wood base member to prevent warping.

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 with parts broken away.

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional view similar to the showing of.Fig. 4 showing how the metallic top sheathing can be employed either directly in contact with the wood base member or spaced f therefrom for the reception of insulating material.

As illustrated, a wooden base member I0 is employed of a suitable thickness to give body and suiilcient rigidity to the'ironing table top. This base member may be of any desired type of lumber and preferably will be treated with wellknown chamical substances to render it re re sStant. As clearly shown in Figs, 3 and 5, `the wooden base member I Il may be provided with a multiplicity of longitudinal grooves II which will be carried throughxthe board Ill to a point indicated at I2, which is` spaced from the adjacent surface of theV board I0. These grooves are shown as rectangular slits such as would be conveniently obtained by saw cuts, but the form' of the Vgrooves may be varied as desired so long as they produce the -desired eiIect of preventing warping from expansion or contraction, and at the same time give to the surface of the board when employed, as in Fig. 5, a certain amount oi yield under the iron, which is a desirable condition in connection with the ironing operation.

.Although the grooves Il are shown as in Fig. 3

` member I3 is provided with a curved lip i5 which has its edge I6 seated in the groove Il, thus'at the same time firmly securing the metal covering I3 upon the base member I and giving an ornamental beaded iinish to the edge of the ironing table top.

As shown in Fig. 4, a sheet metal cover member I1 is provided with rectangularly disposed walls I8 and a rectangular bottom flange I9 which takes over the bottom of the wooden base member I0, securing the sheet metal member Il to said base member. It will be clear, however, that v,4. Within this space is'cmpressed a mass of intervening .neat insmeting material, es in Fig.' 4, a series of transverse metallic bars l will be secured across the bottom of the base member I0, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. These bars may the space 2li so as to make a compact layer within that space. Such a layer of insulating material will eifectively restrain passage of heat from the sheet metal cover I1 through to the wooden base member I0 when the construction is used for ironing.

This construction also lends itself very eectively to the production of a metal topV ironing table top which is itself heated. There are certain advantages in ironing whichiiow from the use of a heated metallic table top. Diiferent forms of ironing-table topsintended to accomplish this purpose have been suggested. These forms are 'either too heavy, too expensive. or both, to be practical. My construction by employing heating wires in contact with the metal cover I1 and embedded in the mass of insulating Ymaterial 2| provides the desired heated ironing table .top eifectively in a light and easily handled construction and in a construction which can be manufactured at a reasonable cost. As shown, resistance wires 22 arev embedded in the insulation 2|' in substantial contact with the under surface of the sheet metal cover I1. 'I'hese wires, as indicated at 23, 24, 25 and 26 by dotted lines in Fig.

be of any desired shape, preferably with one or more outwardly extended ribs," such as would be true with U-bars and angle-iron bars. -Any suitable number of these bars may be employed f suicient to give the necessary transverse stiffness. and the bars may be additionally employed as a means for securing the customary supporting legs to the ironing table top.

vThe advantages ofmy invention have been I' quite fully pointed out in the description heretofore given. KA primary and principal advantage resides in the fact that a metallic cover is combined with a wooden supporting base member in I'such manner that a relatively light'and strong the wood supporting base makes possible the use 1run from a plug-in device 21, Figs. 1 and 2.

line wires in a usual way.

As shown in Fig. 4, the resistance or heating elements 22 may be encased in a channel member 3l secured to the sheet metal member l1 with incombustible insulating material 32 within the channel and'about the heating element 22.

protect the wooden base member Ill from the heat generated by the heating wires 22, although extensive experimentation has shown that such which receives current fromA an electric plug and .Y

' In some cases this may be desirable to further I an additional safeguard actually is not required. Y

Also, the casing 3| may, if desired. be formed of some heat insulating material such as Bakelite.

For adapting my improved table top' to be used with electrical heating, I apply to the end of the wooden support a switching member 1 32, Figs. l and 2, which embodies the plug-in the wooden'base member, as in Fig. 5, or when the sheet metal cover is spaced therefrom with of relatively thin sheet metal for this covering with sufficient strength and rigidity,v and by spacing the sheet metal from the wooden base and illlingthe space with heat insulating material, a practical and eficent Way of providing means for heating the metal cover to the table top is provided.

I claim:

An ironing table top comprisingl a base member formed of 4a wooden board of substantial thickness and with transverse reenforcing means adapted to connect supporting legs to the table top, the board being formed with a pair of rounded beads extending about all margins of the board and uniting at the-center of the edge of the Vboard to form a continuous V-shaped groove,` a sheet metal cover resting upon the wooden base member and completely covering its top. said cover member having a continuous flange shaped to extend about the entire ironing table top'and curved to fit the curve of the top bead and having its edge seated in and concealed by said central V-shaped groove, whereby the metallic memberis united with the base member and is held thereon without screws or other fastening devices so as to `give an appearance of complete unity between the wooden base member and the metal top thereon.

LES W. PLACE. 

